chez,

Check the pressure rating of the hose you buy. Go to an irrigation store and ask the rep. Normally you would put a pressure regulator before your soaker or drip to reduce the pressure to what your hose is rated, usually 20-25 psi should do it. Some go as low as 10-15 psi. Your system pressure is probably 45-55 psi for normal house pressure. You should be able to read the packaging on the soaker and find the pressure rating. GL Aloha

I started using Gilmore flat soaker hoses several years ago. So far, so good. They're much more flexible than the round types. I've not had reason to test the "lifetime replacement policy" promised on the package. As with all soaker hoses, pressure regulators are essential. You can find them with the drip irrigation stuff at Home Depot.

What if I just turned the volume down on the water flow--meaning that instead of turning the hose all the way on I just turned it half on? Would that address the pressure differential sufficiently?

Nope, reducing the flow doesn't seem to sufficiently reduce the pressure. You can find pressure regulators in the drip irrigation section at Home Depot or Lowe's, and they're only about $5. They come either pipe or hose threaded, so make sure you get the latter. I appreciate that you don't want to fool around with this much, but you might pick up an assortment of flow disks. These slip into the end of the hose, like a gasket, and help you control the flow. They're cheap. I get the Gilmore flat hoses at Home Depot, in 25 ft. lengths, for $10. WalMart carries the 75 ft. length.

I had an additional zone added to put a soaker zone in the flower bed around our pool. It was installed by the same company that installed my other 7 zones. I have had to call them back twice due to splits in the hose. I was accused of not shutting down my system properly. I was thinking they installed an old (dry rotted) hose. After doing some reasearch and contacting Toro I think the issue might be lack of a pressure reduction valve on that zone. My first project as soon as the snow is completey gone is to fix this zone. Toro told me they do not sell a "weeper" hose and that I needed to install one of their low pressure drip systems. I like the weeper hose and it worked well except for the blowouts. Am I on the right track thinking about adding the pressure reduction on this zone and keeping the weeper hose. If the hose is indeed bad (old, rotted) I found one on amazon that looks identical including the yellow line running down the length. And they sell it in a 250 foot roll. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

I had an additional zone added to put a soaker zone in the flower bed around our pool. It was installed by the same company that installed my other 7 zones. I have had to call them back twice due to splits in the hose. I was accused of not shutting down my system properly. I was thinking they installed an old (dry rotted) hose. After doing some reasearch and contacting Toro I think the issue might be lack of a pressure reduction valve on that zone. My first project as soon as the snow is completey gone is to fix this zone. Toro told me they do not sell a "weeper" hose and that I needed to install one of their low pressure drip systems. I like the weeper hose and it worked well except for the blowouts. Am I on the right track thinking about adding the pressure reduction on this zone and keeping the weeper hose. If the hose is indeed bad (old, rotted) I found one on amazon that looks identical including the yellow line running down the length. And they sell it in a 250 foot roll. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

I had an additional zone added to put a soaker zone in the flower bed around our pool. It was installed by the same company that installed my other 7 zones. I have had to call them back twice due to splits in the hose. I was accused of not shutting down my system properly. I was thinking they installed an old (dry rotted) hose. After doing some reasearch and contacting Toro I think the issue might be lack of a pressure reduction valve on that zone. My first project as soon as the snow is completey gone is to fix this zone. Toro told me they do not sell a "weeper" hose and that I needed to install one of their low pressure drip systems. I like the weeper hose and it worked well except for the blowouts. Am I on the right track thinking about adding the pressure reduction on this zone and keeping the weeper hose. If the hose is indeed bad (old, rotted) I found one on amazon that looks identical including the yellow line running down the length. And they sell it in a 250 foot roll. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

jm,

You are right. Install a15 to 20 psi pressure regulator in-line before your hoses. They are not expensive. I am surprised that your installer company didn't didn't do that. They should also know how to check your system pressure and the rated pressure of the soaker they installed. If you need to know how to check your water pressure let us know and we will tell you how. That is important step in know what you need to do. JMHO Aloha

I have used soaker hoses for over ten years without a pressure regulator but I live in a city where we have low water pressure. My main soaker hose (50ft) bit the dust three years ago. The soaker hoses I tried from Walmart, Lowe's and HD weren't very good. So I bought Dramm, its a little pricey but its a 2ply soaker hose. I haven't used it yet because I got it too late in the season but once I sure that old man winter in gone. Then I'm putting it out there. While the plants loved the hand watering, my back did not.

The Dramm hose appears to be a quality product, said to be made of a double thickness of "recycled material." I wonder how flexible it is. I haven't seen any locally. The Gilmour flat hose is made of tightly woven synthetic material of some sort. I've read the description "woven PVC," but don't know if that's accurate.